Man City make £100m transfer move against Arsenal as Edu plans rocked after shock clause change

Arsenal now know exactly when the summer transfer window will be open as they plan for three months (ish) of vital business. As they bid to win the Premier League their plans will not be massively impacted by the results of the final week of the season.

The standards required to be victorious against this Manchester City juggernaut are so high that resting or standing still is not an option. Even predicting improvement on all levels would be a risk as the main method of gaining on the current champions with Pep Guardiola's side also moving forward.

The Gunners therefore know that they will need to take steps towards being as inevitable as their current rivals, factoring in a second year in Europe and the squad depth required to be truly competitive. Here, football.london brings you the latest round-up of rumours ahead of the summer window.

City have the advantage for Bruno Guimaraes

Manchester City are in a stronger position to sign Bruno Guimaraes this summer, reports Ben Jacobs. The Brazilian midfielder has a huge release clause in his contract which will be active for just six more weeks, only two of which the transfer window is open.

Arsenal have been monitoring the player for some time now after missing out on buying him before Newcastle pounced. With questions over the future of Thomas Partey, and Arteta keen to bolster his squad in the centre, Guimaraes is one of the standouts.

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“Newcastle also don’t want to lose Bruno Guimaraes, but the decision could be taken out of their hands if someone triggers his £100m release clause, which is valid between late May and the end of June,” Jacobs told Caught Offside. “As long as the clause is active, Newcastle are going to simply point to its value, but it’s understood offers exceeding £80m could be entertained should Guimaraes wish to leave for a Champions League club.

“It should be stressed, Guimaraes is happy at Newcastle, but it’s also true that both Manchester City and Arsenal have made contact with his camp. Manchester City are the most active of the suitors. Arsenal appreciate Guimaraes, but have no intention to trigger his clause meaning they would only enter the race if the price drops.”

football.london says: This is an interesting one. £100million is a lot of money for Arsenal, especially after buying Declan Rice, but Guimaraes is a top option. At this level the best players won't come cheap, and Newcastle won't be keen to sell to a team they want to try and match both on the pitch and in the market.

Is Guimaraes worth this amount? Probably not. He's an all-action midfielder but doesn't necessarily solve the Rice position dilemma in either way. He isn't defensive enough to be a sitting No.6 on his own or attacking enough to be as influential as Martin Odegaard as one of the No.8s.

Can Arsenal really afford to have Manchester City weaponise him though? There's so much good about the 26-year-old that perhaps sucking it up and spending the money is necessary. This summer looks unlikely for Arsenal which could be a problem ultimately. They would surely need to sell a handful of their players before June 30 to fund the move, and it feels like too much for a short space of time.

Sesko release clause issue

Arsenal striker target Benjamin Sesko has reportedly seen his release clause rise significantly. It had previously been thought that £43million would trigger RB Leipzig into talks for their 20-year-old forward but that is now said be as much as £64million.

Sesko is seen as a top target for the Gunners as they look to bring in a 'true No.9' this summer. With six goals in his last six games and a strong end to the Bundesliga season, Sesko's performances have seen teams across Europe including Chelsea join the race for him.

Arsenal had been said to be progressing well in their attempts to buy him after just one year in Germany. How the reported price change could impact things is unknown.

football.london says: Young strikers scoring goals in Europe aren't readily available for £43million, just ask Manchester United and Rasmus Hojlund. So having to spend a bit more to sign Sesko shouldn't be a massive problem.

The good news is that his form warrants this change in price. Sesko is playing tremendously well, and although he's still raw there is plenty to work with. Arsenal aren't in a position to skimp with their money this summer, especially not if they want to make the strides in quality that is needed to be competitive at the very top level.

It may well be frustrating to now be needing to pay more, but it's far from the worst it could be. If Arsenal really do want Sesko this won't be a problem.